Avian Ballet

I always dreamed of making photographs of these birds that fly together harmoniously. They remind me of ballet dancers where everyone knows what to do. However, to realize my artistic vision of this avian ballet, I needed to find the right place with the right birds. I finally went on a small island in the St-Lawrence River (Quebec, Canada), a natural reserve where there is almost nobody to disturb the birds. I found a spot where I could be close enough to the birds while having the desired background (i.e. no landscape in the distance). I spent three days on that small island and waited for the proper weather that would support my vision of an avian ballet (i.e. no wind that would create big waves). Once there, I found that it was a true challenge to photograph those birds in flight. They move very fast, they continuously change direction, and they were not always in front of the background I wanted to include in my photo. Nevertheless, thanks to many attempts with my 400mm lens and a lot of patience, I succeeded to make the photo I dreamed about.